#VENIPUNCTURE SITES DIAGRAM PLUS#

Young opossums, whether housed individually or together, require a cage at least 35 cm (1.1 ft.) high and 45 cm (1.5 ft.) wide by 75 cm (2.5 ft.) long. If housed outdoors, know that opossums can dig beneath fences. 6, 14, 31Ī modified rabbit or ferret cage is often used for captive opossums. Owners should carefully monitor and control food intake while encouraging activity to minimize the risk of obesity. Pairing this slower metabolic rate with the opossum’s voracious appetite, means it is easy to overfeed pet opossums. 7Īs a general rule, metabolism in a marsupial is approximately one-third that of a similarly sized placental mammal. Pacific Wildlife Care has successfully used this diet long term, and it is based on a regimen described by Gode and Ruth (Kathy Duncan, written communication to author, July 5, 2018). In a rehabilitation setting or home with multiple animals, a diet that can be made up in large quantities may be preferable. 14 “Peter’s Food” was developed for the National Opossum Society by Dr.

#VENIPUNCTURE SITES DIAGRAM PLUS#

Note: Owners may refer to “Peter’s Food”, an adult opossum diet consisting of 1-part cat food plus 1-part blended vegetables and 0.25%-part non-fat yogurt. 6, 11, 22 These sources of protein can include: invertebrates, such as calcium gut-loaded crickets, superworms, or other dusted adult insects, 1 small or medium whole mice, canned salmon, 1 sardine, 1/2 hard-boiled egg or scrambled egg with the shell, 1 tablespoon yogurt, or cooked chicken liver (Kathy Duncan, written communication to author, July 5, 2018). Offer captive opossums a balanced diet consisting of small amounts of a formulated diet (omnivore diet or low fat/low calorie cat food) supplemented with vegetables, small amounts of fruit (10-20% of the diet), and occasional (once or twice weekly) protein sources.

Opossums are highly opportunistic and a large amount of their diet consists of scavenged food items, like carrion. Free-ranging animals consume a varied diet that includes plant material, grasses and leaves, grains, fruits, seeds and bulbs, carrion, snails, slugs, worms, insects, rats, mice, snakes, amphibians, eggs, crayfish, and fish. The opossum is not sold in the pet trade, and animals kept as companion animals or zoological specimens were often orphaned during infancy.

Virginia opossums are often seen as pests and in many states, it is illegal to keep this species as a pet. Unlike most wild animals, the opossum flourishes in urban areas, and the presence of human settlements actually serves to increase the opossum’s habitat and population size. The Virginia opossum’s range extends throughout the United States, except in extremely mountainous or arid regions. Over time, and with the introduction of the opossum into California in 1910, populations now extend into British Columbia and throughout Central America. When Europeans began to settle in North America, the range of this species extended as far north as Ohio and West Virginia. This New World species is correctly called an “opossum” as opposed to the Old World “possum”. The Virginia opossum is the only marsupial native to North America.

Venipuncture sites diagram